sullivan



T. J. SULLIVAN, or ALBANY. NEW Yon-K.-

Letters Patent No, 81,430, dated August 25, 1868.

IIMPROYEMEBT llill PERMUTATION-LOGKS.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, T. J. SULLIVAN, of `Albany, in the county of. Albany, and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Combination-Locks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will ena-ble others skilledin the art to make and use the saine,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specication. l Figure 1 is a. back view of my lock, with the'back plate removed, exhibiting the internal mechanism. Figure 2 is a front view of the lock, showing the knob and graduated combination-circle. i Figure Sis a verticalscction of the lock through the line a: x', fig. 1. l

Figure Llr'is another section at right angles to lthat shown at iig. 3, and is taken `through the line y y. oit" thatl figure.

Figure '5 isa detail view ofone of thc improved' combination-wheels. Figure 6 'is a detail viw of the lower part of thesection shown at tig. 3.

Similar letters of reference-indicate corresponding parts. i This invention relates to improvements-for setting the combination of any lock having indented wheels, actuated b y a'knob bearing a. graduated circle, exterior to the lock but is designed more particularly to improve n. lock previously patented by me.

The inventonconsists in attachin circular springs to the disks containing the combination-wheels, saidY springs being each provided with a detent-pin' for detaining the combination-wheels at any desired point, by fitting into the indentures ofthe same, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, A is the casing ot' the lockB the door of the safe, C the knob, l) its revolving graduated circle.' Each combination-wheel, d, is enclosed in a disk, G, as shown at tig. 5,'and the said wheel revolves on a thimblc, e, forming part of the segment E, and projecting horizontally from the same. The wheels aare each. provided with lateral holes, n, or indenturcs near their peripberies, as shown, and into any one of these holes a. detent-pin, dentelles, and thus holds the wheel from revolving. The 'spring b,"in which this pin is set, is shown more enlarged at figs. 5V and 6.V Each spring is secured to a disk, G, as shown at iig. 5, a part of the spring being bro'ken away, to exhibit the holes in the wheel a, which latter is beneath the sp1'i,ng, and the holes4 are beneath' the pin z' of the spring; m is the holefor the key, used in setting the combination, and will be hereinafter described. l

v The combination-wheol'a thus .revolves upon tho thmble e as 'an axis, and also within the disk G, with` slight friction.. Within the lreywhamber J is a helical surface,I 1', which has for its object the forcing in of the key'K against th'e springs b on the disks G, whereby the springs thus forced1 back withdraw the pins z' from thev holes n, and leave the wheels a free to be turned and setto a new combination, vwhich turning is accomplished by turning the knob C toA the right or left o nce or more, according to the precept specified for setting Athe combinatiomrwhich, in my look, is to turn to the right three or more: times, then to theleit twice, and lastly, to the right once. y

The turning of the combinntion-wheels is accomplished by means of the projecting pins a', oncof which is shown on the plato I, fig, 4." This turns with the knob C, as the plat e I'and washer L'are both mounted firmly on the spindleM ofthe knob. When the knob is turned, the plate I revolves, and with it the projection a', which in one revolution impingcson .the similar pin in the next combination-wheel,and so on till all are set; for, in three ormore revolutions, the rear wheeltis set on a certain number of the graduated circle, then two reverse revolutions sot' the next wheel on any number chosen, then onereverse revolution sets the wheel next the knob'. Each wheel can be set on a. diierent number, in' which case there will be a partial revolution in excess of the number just speciiiod for euch wheel.

lhercis aprojection, o, on the key, of length suiicientto'cnter the key-hole, and when the key is turned. to bear against the helical surface r. ",Whcn the key is revolved, said helical surface then actuates thc-key inward, as y'the same is turned by means of the'said projection o. The key is also reduced abruptly in three places, tbusforming circular shoulders t t t, as shown. Each ofrtheseshoulders abats against a spring on one of the disks, in the manner shown at figs. 3 and 6, for the key-hole in the rear disk is made large enougli to admit the shoulder t to'come in contact with the spring on that disk, which spring has its key-hole just large enough to admit. the reduced portion oi' the key, constituting thelshoulder t', which shoulder passes through the next disk, and encounters thespring of the same, the key-hole of which second spring isjust large enough to admit the reduced part forming the shoulder t. This shoulder passes through the hole in the last disk, and encounters the spring of the same, a reduced terminal point'passing through the last spring, as shown.

Now, when the key, after being entered, is turned so that its projection o encounters the .helical surface within the key-chamber, the said surface causes the'key to t'hrust forward as it is turned, and thus the several springs of the disks are forced back simultaneously, Yand their respective pinsz'withdrawn from the holes in the combination-wheels, leaving the latter free to be turned and set in any. other combination, by turning the knob C according to whatever precepts govern the setting ofthe lock. y

The catch H is lifted bythe revolution of the plate I, which causes'the surfaces S to throw the catch up,

land the bar'lt', forming'part'of the catch, from out the slots k, in the disks of the combination-wheels. The

end of the latch is thus raised -and presented to the end of the safe-bolt, and prevents its being withdrawn. When the slots k onV thegdisks are brought to coincide with each other, and the notch sa, in the plate I, and the whole brought to the top, the bar lc will descend into the said slots, and thus allow the safe-bolt to pass over and vby the latch, andbe withdrawn tpl-,permit the opening ofthe safe. This operation is more fullyyv described in the subject-matter of my Letters Patent for`thc other parts of the lock, of which this is an improvement. i

At the bottoniA of the casing of the lock is aA block,f, which, with the lateral blocks f', is cast on the casing, for the-purpose of guides, to steady the disks. In the blockfare the stud-pinsg g-g, which project upwards a. short distance between the disks, as shown, and act as guides to steady the same, when the key is actuating the springs in the manner before described. The combination must be set while the key is in place, and when set the key is withdrawn. The key-hole is en the inside of the safe, 'and is not accessible till the safe is' opened.

The devices heretofore used -to accomplish the changing of the combination of these locks were more or less complicated, and liable to derungement. vMy improvement supples'a device that is at once simple, eicient, and easily applicable to combination-locks of the above-described character.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The tumblers, constructed as .described, of the perforated annular plate a, grooved fdisk G, and divided annular spring b, having the pin z', all arranged and operated as described for thefpurpose specified.

The above specification of my invention signed by me, this 4th day of November, 1857.

".l. J. SULLIVAN.

Witnesses:

WM. F. McNAMaRA, v ALEX. F.l ROBERTS. 

